Still Waters: Canines in the cubicles

Mine stayed home, which probably saved me a lawsuit, but I hope some of you took the opportunity to bring your canines into the cubicles today.

I am down to two in my canine family, Ebony and Boca Burger. Ebony, a big black lab mix, would probably do well around people, although her sheer size would likely frighten a few customers off. On second thought, that might not be a bad idea…

Boca, on the other hand, would be the one to produce a lawsuit. The cow dog who was rescued a few years ago by a coworker and subsequently landed at my house is protective and mental, not a really great combination for “Take Your Dog To Work Day.”

He wasn’t named Boca Burger just because I’m a fan of meatless products. He’s a nut burger who is both scared of anything and fiercely protective at the same time. He’s very brave from under the desk in the back room, but if someone were attacking me, I know he’d access his inner warrior and take a bite out of crime.

The “Beware of Dog” sign isn’t just a pretty decoration on my fence. I’ve generally owned at least one mentally unstable dog, so the sign has been affixed to the fence for a long time, for good reason. Even the folks distributing phone books in plastic bags the other day didn’t try placing mine on the fencepost. It looks like they threw it in the driveway and ran.

I did bring Boca to work once after he had been to the doctor and was still bleeding from the procedure. I placed an old sheet on the floor and let him rest beside me. I think it freaked my coworker Lauren out a bit, but it was evening so there was no one else around for him to bite, and in his condition I don’t think he was too interested in chomping into anyone. He had a huge lump that had to be lanced. It wasn’t pretty.

At any rate, he’ll be staying home today where he can protect his property from the safety and comfort of the living room couch.

Ebony would also rather be resting on a blanket on the floor or swimming through my dusty yard (grass is a rare commodity in my yard, unfortunately) waiting to give a shout-out to passing pickups, people, dogs, cats and the ice cream truck. If I left her some allowance she’d be out there buying a butterscotch-dipped cone or vanilla ice cream sandwich.